I just watched a stunning performance by Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC. He just callled out his employer - NBC - for being complicit in Donald Trump's racist campaign against the President of the United States, Barack Obama. It was a stunning and courageous rebuke of NBC and the media in general
This is a short diary but I'll update with video and transcript when available.
O'Donnell's basic contention is that NBC knows - right now - if Trump is coming back for another season of The Apprentice. If he is, that means that Trump is not running for President. And if he is not running for President, the media will quickly turn their focus away from this idiotic, racist rants.
O'Donnell called on NBC Entertainment to announce - today - if Trump's show is renewed for another season. He called out NBC as a matter of moral conscience. It was a stunning performance. More to come ...
UPDATE 1:
O'Donnell spoke directly to the NBC Entertainment executives in California - who are still at work. He told them directly that they know right now if Trump is renewing for another season, and every day - every minute - that they withhold this information, they become more complicit in the racist garbage that Trump is spewing. Because if is known that Trump is renewing for another season of his "fake reality show" (as O'Donnell likes to call it), that means the media will stop covering Trumps hate-filled statements (shame on the media anyway, but that's another diary). So the longer they withhold this information, the more they add fuel to Trump's race-baiting hatefest.
UPDATE 2:
O'Donnell just kicked Orly Taitz off of his show. WOW. Just WOW! She wouldn't answer his question, just tried to spew her same racist birtherism BS, and he wouldn't let her do it. Thank you Lawrence!
UPDATE 3:
You can view the awesome video at mediaite - trust me, you will like it (h/t: Jahiz)
Key excerpt:
"The time has come to appeal to the fundamental decency of NBC Entertainment executives. I know some of these people. I know they have that decency. You must tell us now everything you know about Donald Trump's plans, and you must tell us tonight. And don't ever, ever again dare to tell us that this is Donald being Donald."
UPDATE 4:
Douglas Brinkley calls on NBC to Dump Trump (or alternatively for advertisers to Dump Trump) - h/t again to Jahiz:
UPDATE 5:
Bonus Video: Here's the video of O'Donnell grilling Orly Taitz tonight and ultimately kicking her off his show - now this is my idea of Classic Television!
UPDATE 6:
More excerpts from O'Donnell's call-out of NBC, courtesy of the Examiner
"The carnival barker he (the President) is talking about is an NBC employee. That leaves NBC the following options. One, simply say what most of America is dying to hear and say it now: 'Donald Trump, you're fired!' Two, order the NBC employee, the carnival barker in question, to shut up. Or three, and this is the easiest one for NBC to do, NBC has absolutely no excuse for not doing this, simply reveal everything NBC knows about Donald Trump's commitments and plans for employment with NBC and reveal it tonight. Immediately."
O'Donnell noted that NBC has already revealed the future of a number of NBC primetime shows and he wondered why the same information could not be revealed about Trump's show. He argued that failing to make the information public immediately meant that NBC Entertainment executives were complicit "in the ugliest campaign of the television age."
UPDATE 7:
NBC Dodging Lawrence O'Donnell's Donald Trump Criticism
More proof, in my opinion, that NBC is being intentionally complicit in Trump's racism to gain publicity for the network.